my life in stitches

just in time for spring

... presenting Tulip.

never mind the awkard, one-armed self-portrait. Tulip is a perfect fit! the yellow is not quite as dreadful as i thought, so maybe she will get a bit of exposure in the coming season. in fact, she will be making her SXSW debut this week! there's a blue / white / green shade of this yarn (Jamaica by Katia) that is really gorgeous. i'm almost tempted to knit another one, but that's probably not going to happen. would be a bit boring, i think. while Tulip was waiting to have her ends woven in, i cast on for a pair of socks. wasn't really into the idea of socks, but at that moment i had nothing else to knit. also, my sock stash is getting kind of ridiculous, so why not? i knit with sock yarn in the order that it was purchased or received. this particular skein of Opal had been in my stash for about 4 years. it's really sick, isn't it?

i found some obscure italian bamboo yarn in black at 6 sts to the inch! i think i'll cast on for a tank today. i am so happy! strained eyes and headaches here we come!

yay! socks!

FO alert!!! can you believe it? i've finally completed the 3 year old socks! i love my stripey mismatched socks. yesterday susan and i were having a conversation about certain fabulous, but finicky knitters who just couldn't bear the thought of their stripes not being perfectly matchy matchy. i'm not naming names or anything, i'm just sayin'. in my opinion, stripey symmetry is overrated. i much prefer a unique, asymmetrical, let the colors fall where they may sort of sock. i am really looking forward to wearing them with my new clogs!

what's next, you ask? well, more socks, of course! i think i'll use the lovely missoni sock yarn that susan sent me when she was my secret pal. i am really excited to see how it knits up.

and by the way, if there were no finicky knitters who count every row and get things all perfectly matchy matchy we'd all still be knitting garter stitch scarves! god(dess) bless the finicky knitters!

fix me, fix me

where shall i begin? Tom Tom is finished and most of the offending ends have been woven in. however, there's a problem of too few buttons for so much sweater. blocking gave me the extra width that i needed, but there is still a gap between some of the buttons. as i was flipping through the new Rowan, i noticed that one of the models is wearing a cardigan that has gaps between the buttons! hello, Rowan? my friend, melissa, suggested that i put tiny snaps in the spaces between the buttons and that is what i shall do. let's hope this does the trick!

my gauge suddenly went all tight on Wings, so i've had to rip her out. i didn't want to go up a needle size because the non-intarsia part of the fabric was perfect and i was afraid a bigger needle would make it too loose. so, instead, i'm knitting the next size up and will make a conscious effort to knit a bit more loosely over the intarsia.

in other project news, i am knitting a couple of face cloths that i shall pair with my favorite french soap and give as a housewarming gift. i usually knit them from Mission Falls cotton but, apparently, their mill burned down and it's no longer being made! i am sure i could track some down online. however, i'm in a bit of hurry. i want to knit them RIGHT NOW, so i've chosen Rowan All Seasons Cotton as a substitute. does anyone know how ASC fares in the dryer?

whew!

i completed my 2 projects for Vickie Howell's , Not Another Teen Knitting Book, and i've finished writing the patterns. they're off in the mail tomorrow!

i've finished the cross stitch on Tom Tom. now i'm weaving in the ends, but just the ones along the edges, and then i'll sew on the sleeves and sew up the side seams. that is very exciting! however, don't wet your pants just yet, as it may take another couple of days just to weave in the ends. i'll save the massive, overall weaving in of ends until later. much later. at present, only those along the seams and those that are visible are an issue.

i have cast on for Wings and finished the ribbing. i'm feeling kind of beat at the moment, so i don't think i'll start the intarsia for a day or two. i feel like i might be coming down with something. ugh. i need a nap.

stay tuned for the announcement of Wings Together!

presenting Carla

better late than never.

socks

wow! i think this is my first FO of 2005! the yarn is Trekking XXL in color 30. the pattern is a mix of different elements. i worked from the basic sock pattern in Folk Socks. i knit a dutch heel and a round toe. the rib i stole from some other pattern. my problem with socks is that i have skinny legs and wide feet. these fit pretty well, but i wouldn't have minded a leg that was a bit more snug. next time i'll cast on with 4 fewer stitches and then increase by 4 on the last row of the leg before i start the heel.

i washed that other sock yarn that i ripped out a few weeks ago, so i'll probably cast on for another pair soon. i think i'll start the neck band on Tom Tom today and then find someone to teach me how to do cross stitch. Jac, i'm keeping my fingers crossed that the yarn for Wings will arrive today!